Hearing Bai Sha’s words, Yin Sha couldn’t help but laugh.
She was about to say something to help Bai Sha relax, but upon seeing the utterly serious look in Bai Sha’s eyes, she swallowed her words.
“Mm… I understand. I’ll be a bit more cautious.”
Yin Sha figured that, regardless, Bai Sha meant well. It wouldn’t hurt to heed her advice.
Just then, startled cries echoed from deeper within the passage.
Hearing the commotion, Bai Sha and Yin Sha exchanged no further words and quickly rushed towards the source.
They hadn’t swum far before entering an open space, where they saw Mo Hen, Hong Xing, and Hong Gang gathered around a piece of fiery red ore the size of a fist. The ore radiated intense heat, and their faces were filled with ecstatic joy.
Without a doubt, this was the Fire Jade Stone!
“This…” Yin Sha’s eyes lit up as she looked at the Fire Jade Stone. “I didn’t expect this piece of Fire Jade Stone to be so large. A chunk this size is probably worth around fifteen thousand Contribution Points.”
Fifteen thousand. That was considerably more than anyone had expected.
If divided equally, that would be three thousand Contribution Points per person!
For many Demon Cultivators in the Qi Condensation Stage, a year of hard work might not even yield three thousand Contribution Points.
After all, many commissions were quite time-consuming, yet the rewards were limited. Additionally, Demon Cultivators needed ample time to cultivate, rest, and handle other trivial matters. Earning Contribution Points was, in truth, quite difficult.
In comparison, the mining commission at the Water Jade Mine was already considered a plum job.
“Is there only one Fire Jade Stone?” Bai Sha asked.
“A single Water Jade Mine will only ever give birth to one Fire Jade Stone at a time,” Yin Sha explained, then continued with burgeoning excitement. “Let’s head back to the Seven-Colored Shell. We’ve already dug up enough Water Jade Stones to fulfill the commission. If we sell this Fire Jade Stone to the Dream Ruins for Contribution Points, each of us can buy some Magical Tools or Spells or something! I’ve wanted a Storage Artifact for ages; it’s so inconvenient carrying things around.”
“For us Demon Cultivators, a Storage Artifact is usually the first thing to buy. I want one too,” Hong Xing said expectantly.
Hong Gang clacked his pincers in agreement.
Demon Cultivators differed from humans; they had no clothes or convenient places to store items, which was extremely inconvenient.
But with a Magical Tool, things were different.
Magical Tools, by nature, could be infused with Demonic Power and absorbed into the body. Thus, owning a Storage Artifact meant one could carry a multitude of things.
However, Storage Artifacts were even more expensive than ordinary Magical Tools. They weren’t something easily purchased on a whim. For Demon Cultivators at the Qi Condensation Stage, a Storage Artifact was practically a luxury item.
But this was a luxury they would all soon be able to afford.
“Let’s go!”
Mo Hen grabbed the Fire Jade Stone with one of his tentacles and swam towards the exit.
Seeing this, the other Demon Cultivators promptly followed behind.
As Bai Sha caught up, she poked Yin Sha with her pectoral fin again, reminding her to be wary of Mo Hen.
Yin Sha nodded, signaling her understanding.
Soon, they located the entrance and exit and were on the verge of leaving the mine.
But at that very moment, Bai Sha felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, and her large body swayed unsteadily.
“What’s wrong with you?” Yin Sha hurriedly supported Bai Sha with her own body. “Is the pain from the burn of that scorching air current too intense?”
“No, that’s not it.” Bai Sha shook her head. “I feel like I’ve been poisoned.”
“Poisoned?”
Yin Sha froze, instinctively glancing at Mo Hen ahead of them.
Among their group of Demon Cultivators, only Mo Hen possessed the ability to use poison. The moment Bai Sha mentioned poisoning, Yin Sha naturally looked at Mo Hen—it was an entirely subconscious reaction.
But just as Yin Sha looked over, a thick cloud of green mist suddenly erupted from Mo Hen’s body, instantly engulfing Yin Sha, Hong Xing, Hong Gang, and Bai Sha behind him.
“What are you doing?!”
This sudden attack caught Hong Xing and Hong Gang completely off guard, drenching them in the green substance.
This green substance was, without a doubt, a potent poison. As it clung to them, both Hong Xing and Hong Gang felt dizzied and disoriented, to the point where they couldn’t even keep swimming in the seawater. Swaying and staggering, they sank downwards.
Thanks to Bai Sha’s warning, Yin Sha had quickly pulled her back, narrowly avoiding the direct attack.
However, the green poison mist rapidly dissolved into the seawater, turning the water ahead a murky green, clearly saturated with toxicity.
Seeing this, a furious expression filled Yin Sha’s eyes.
“Mo Hen!”
With a loud shout, Yin Sha charged straight into the poisoned water ahead.
Having reached this point, and with Bai Sha’s prior warning, Yin Sha instantly understood what was happening.
Bai Sha had been right. Mo Hen intended to take all the spoils for himself!
This was something Yin Sha absolutely could not tolerate. Disregarding the poison now mixed into the seawater before her, she surged forward to pursue Mo Hen.
Bai Sha, in this state, couldn’t follow.
The green poison in front of her was even spreading through the seawater, forcing her to retreat a considerable distance.
Mo Hen was a Late-stage Qi Condensation Demon Cultivator. The poison he could release was absolutely not something an Early Qi Condensation cultivator could withstand.
As she retreated, Bai Sha’s mind raced.
‘Mo Hen must have used two types of poison. One is the obvious green toxin we saw just now, which incapacitated Hong Xing and Hong Gang. They still seem alive, but unable to move.’
‘The other must be colorless and odorless. Mo Hen was likely releasing it as we traveled. We were all being poisoned silently. Because my cultivation is the lowest, I was the first to notice its effects.’
Bai Sha quickly deduced Mo Hen’s method.
But understanding it was one thing; whether it could change the fate of the Fire Jade Stone being taken by Mo Hen was another. It all depended on whether Yin Sha could recover it.
Just then, another wave of dizziness washed over Bai Sha.
‘That earlier colorless, odorless poison doesn’t seem simple either.’
A nauseating feeling of sickness pervaded her body.
She could only retreat as fast as she could while she still had a modicum of strength, putting distance between herself and the spreading poisoned water.
Once she had retreated a sufficient distance, Bai Sha collapsed weakly onto the seabed, sinking onto the cold ground, unable to move.
‘Surely I won’t have to spend one of my Simulation Counts here?’
The thought couldn’t help but flash through Bai Sha’s mind.
But fortunately, such an outcome didn’t come to pass. Not long after, Yin Sha burst back through the poisoned water and returned.
Only, at this moment, Yin Sha looked utterly dispirited and lethargic. Patches of green flickered intermittently on her body, clearly indicating that the potent poison was still coursing through her, making her aura seem weak.
